Social networks as information sources

I use Twitter a lot while I am at work. I have been feeling a bit guilty about this, as in most large companies doing something like interacting with Twitter rather than focussing on “core” work activities would be viewed as time-wasting and unproductive.

However, what I have realised is that my Twitter network is actually becoming an essential part of my information-sourcing activities, which are critical to my role. Through Twitter I have been able to access many leading thinkers in areas of interest for me in my current role, as well as research reports, case studies and technical information, all of which I have utilised to a great extent, and to great effect to perform the “core” activities of my job.

Whilst there are definitely exceptions to the rule, as mentioned above many large companies are oblivious to the type of benefits that web 2.0 services like Twitter can provide to their employees. Note that I am not referring to Enterprise 2.0 types of services which are generally internally focussed, but open publicly available services like Twitter and Friendfeed. These open systems allow employees to draw on the social networks they have created in the same way they use traditional internal informal networks that are always so beneficial to those who know how to use them.

If only most companies realised the treasure trove of expertiseand information that their employees would be able to access if they encouraged the use of such services. Sadly, its only the enlightened few that do.

Open communication can be scary to senior managers

Senior managers today face a conundrum when determining how much information they want to share with employees. In effect this is a balancing act as

• It is widely acknowledged that open communication within an organisation encourages Employee Engagement ; But 
• It is perceived by many managers that open communication can open the company up to a greater risk of leaks to the market (and a breakdown in confidentiality), which can be devastating, especially in a highly competitive situation

Determining how to handle this issue for an organisation has become even more difficult recently with the advent of a world of hyperconnectivity , both in the general public, but also within companies themselves.

It is now much easier for customers, competitors and even potential employees to source (in the public domain) information regarding a company. The open availability of email and applications like Twitter now make it much easier for information to be distributed outside of a company, whilst services like Glassdoor now mean that employees can easily share their thoughts on working in a company, senior management and even their salaries with the public (and future employees) in a confidential manner.

This increased “risk” of leakage of information has prompted some companies to clamp down on information sharing within their organisations. The result of this can be an unengaged employee base which feels dis-empowered due to a lack of access to information regarding key corporate strategies or initiatives.

This can in fact turn into a vicious cycle, with these disenchanted employees feeling the need to rebel against their lack of perceived power, increasing the likelihood that they share their negative thoughts on sites like Glassdoor, or in the worst case actually leaking confidential information that they have access to.

This issue is one of the reasons that many companies are struggling with the concept of Enterprise 2.0 whereby employees are openly encouraged to share information, and provided the tools to do so. In fact, I would argue that this is one of the main reasons that the deployment of Enterprise 2.0 services is placed in the “too hard” basket in many organisations. 

So what is the solution? Unfortunately there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer for every company. A lot of it comes down to creating a culture of open communication but implicit trust through the company, which is not a very easy thing to do at all, and not something that can be easily taught or communicated by consultants or the like.

In most cases, companies will just have to find their own path if they want to move towards becoming more open towards their employees, something that will most likely be the key to successful business in the future.